


Schrödinger's Lance

by strawberrylovely



Category: Shance - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Boners, Claustrophobia, Dick Jokes, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Making Out, Mentions of Other Voltron Paladins, Silly Boys, awkward boys, shance, stuck in a box
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 23:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13646418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrylovely/pseuds/strawberrylovely
Summary: Lance and Shiro wake up to find themselves stuck in a box together and they must figure out how to deal with their situation while they wait for help.





	Schrödinger's Lance

**Author's Note:**

> this is mostly just silly, 6k+ words of nonsense. please don’t take it too seriously. i kept seeing art of ships being stuck in a box together, but i’ve seen ZERO (0) of shance, so i figured i could at least try to write it since i can’t art it lol

Lance woke up feeling sore. He definitely didn’t get a good night’s rest. Actually, he didn’t remember falling asleep. What time was it?

He tried to shift his body but suddenly he was very aware of how he was positioned. His face was pressed against something hard and it felt like he was doing a back bend...?

Opening his eyes, he saw that wherever he was was A: not his bedroom and B: completely dark. He groaned and tried to push his upper body away from whatever hard surface he was pressed against, but lost his ground when said surface grunted underneath him.

“Ow,” a groggy voice in the darkness said.

“...Shiro?”

“Lance?”

“What’s going on, man? Where are we?” Lance asked, trying to move his legs down from their uncomfortable position above him.

“I... don’t know.” Lance heard Shiro feel the space around them, arms coming up short when they hit the walls beside them. “Wherever we are, it’s very small. Like a box.”

“A box? Why are we in a box? _Where_ are we in a box?”

“I don’t know that either. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“We were on a mission with the team... and then I woke up in here? That’s literally all I can think of,” Lance said.

“Yeah, me too,” Shiro agreed. “I don’t have my helmet either or I could call for help.”

“I don’t even think I have my armor on. Just the body suit.”

“Same for me. Maybe there’s a way out from the inside?”

Sounds of Shiro feeling around the box reached Lance’s ears again as the man tried to find an exit.

“There’s gotta be,” he said, getting frustrated. “We would have already suffocated if there wasn’t some sort of ventilation.”

More sounds of searching filled the box, but Lance could tell Shiro wasn’t any closer to finding what he was searching for.

“Hello?” Shiro called when he came up empty. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?” He was met with silence, so he started hitting the sides of the box loudly. “Hello? Help us!”

“Hey!” Lance followed, banging on the metal walls next to him. “Help!”

“Get us out of here!”

“We’re trapped!”

“Help!”

“Help!”

It went on for a while, the two of them trying their best to catch whoever could possibly be outside’s attention to get them out, but nothing happened. Eventually they both gave up and decided to try again later.

“We’re gonna die in here,” Lance whined.

“No, Lance. We’re not,” Shiro said. “We just have to wait until someone realizes we’re gone and rescues us.”

“Okay. But like, what if they don’t.”

“They will. But until then, we’re stuck in this weird, metal box together,” Shiro said matter-of-factly, as if their previous efforts hadn’t already proven that.

“Right. It’s gotta be a small one too. My feet are raised in the air instead of spread out because of the wall behind me,” Lance said.

“What? Have you been like that the whole time?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty flexible. I just figured if someone came to get us it wouldn’t matter what position I was in,” Lance explained. “But it’s getting a bit uncomfortable now. Also, is the middle of the box thinner than the rest? My torso is perfectly fitted in between two walls.”

“Uh... No. Those are...my legs.”

“Wait. Am I in your lap?”

“...Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Lance said, feeling his face heating up.

“I figured you knew and maybe needed some comfort since you were scared and as the leader I didn’t want to question it.”

“Oh, uh... Thanks? But I’m not _scared_. Just worried what the team would do without their sharpshooter.”

“Uh-huh. Well, you sure sounded like you were scared crying for help,” Shiro teased.

“Hey, you were too!”

Lance put his hands out to the walls to find a good grip for getting up, but instead he accidentally felt his way to where Shiro’s legs were folded, pressed between the walls and his body.

“ _Oh_ ,” Lance said when he realized his hands had subconsciously splayed on Shiro’s thighs. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright. But maybe you wanna...?”

“Yeah, let me just-“

Lance moved his arms up and pushed off again, this time from the wall beside Shiro’s head instead of his chest. He knew that had there been enough light for them to see, he would totally be blushing at how close they’d been.

He pulled a leg down, carefully trying to step on anything but Shiro’s lower body, and when he found the floor of the box, brought his other foot down as well. Now that he had his footing, he leaned up as much as he could, which wasn’t much since the box seemed exactly big enough for one person to sit, not stand.

“Whoah, Lance? Where are you?” Shiro said once they weren’t touching each other.

“I’m uh, kind of standing?”

Lance heard the sound of Shiro touching the top of the box, which couldn’t have been but a few inches above the sitting man’s head.

“You’re hunched over, aren’t you?” Shiro said, and Lance wasn’t sure if it was concern or just confusion behind his leader’s statement.

“Yeah... Yes.”

“Why don’t you sit down? That can’t be comfortable.”

“Shiro, as much as I would _love_ to sit down,” Lance said, “it seems like there is only room for one person to sit, and if I sat too, there’s no doubt it would be very uncomfortable for you.”

“I could always stand, then,” Shiro said, and Lance heard a small shuffling below him.

“No, no. You stay there.” Lance put his arms out to where he hoped were Shiro’s shoulders, and gently pushed to keep him stationary. “You’re slightly taller than me and I know it would be so much worse for you to stand. Plus, I’m okay like this.”

Lance crossed his arms and drummed a few fingers against his other arm in the silence that followed his statement.

“...Are you really okay?”

“No,” Lance whined. “But I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You won’t make me uncomfortable by sitting down. There’s enough room between my feet for you to fit. Besides, it’d probably make me more comfortable because I’d know you weren’t standing over me,” Shiro said honestly.

“Are you sure? We’re in a small space and I’m a leggy boy, and-“

“Did you really just call yourself a ‘leggy boy?’”

“I- You know what I mean! I have long legs! And they’d have to touch yours and I don’t know if you’re comfortable with me touching you that much,” Lance explained.

It was no secret that Lance loved physical touch. He craved hugs and any type of human (or alien) contact he could receive, though it was typically only Hunk that provided it for him. Shiro, however, was the leader of Voltron. He was stoic and emotionless. Or, at least, he wanted his teammates to think so. The only person Lance had ever seen the man touch longer than a punch or a tap on the shoulder was when he was hugging Keith. Lance would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t feel a little jealous that only Keith was allowed to touch Shiro so intimately, but he knew his leader probably wanted it that way. Which is why he was hesitant to sit down when he knew their small space would cause them to touch each other.

“Thank you for thinking of me,” Shiro said, “but I don’t mind that much. The box is small, so it goes hand in hand that we would have to be touching somehow. And like I said, it would make me more comfortable if I knew you weren’t looking over my head where I can’t see you. Please, Lance, for both our sakes, just sit down.”

Lance considered it for another moment before giving in.

“Alright.”

Slowly, he bent his legs to a crouch so he could find the floor and sit down carefully in the dark. Except, when he was trying to switch from crouching to sitting on his knees, he lost his balance and his hands shot out to help him keep from falling on top of Shiro. It wasn’t until he heard a sharp inhale that he realized exactly where one of his hands had fallen.

“Lance-“ Shiro grunted, and the man’s breath hitched in a way that Lance had only ever dreamed of hearing.

“Uhm. Is that-?”

“Yes. Please remove your hand _right this instant_.”

The brunet speedily retracted his hand as he fell back into a fetal position against the opposite wall between Shiro’s feet. It was as if he’d been burned. Only this was a thousand times worse than any burn.

“Quiznak. Hoooly cheese. I am so, so sorry, Shiro. I lost my balance- I-I didn’t mean to- Uh-“

“It’s alright, Lance. Just... don’t do it again.”

“I promise, I won’t.”

Lance was internally and _e_ ternally freaking out. He was pretty sure his heart stopped for a minute actually. In fact, he wasn’t sure whether to be happier that it was pitch dark to hide his definitely red face, or Shiro’s. Probably both.

Because, of course this would happen to him. Of course he would get stuck in the tiniest box from the deepest pit of hell with the guy he’s totally in love with and then accidentally lose his balance so that his hand just magically happens to land _on the guy’s crotch_.

Shiro cleared his throat and Lance was swiftly brought back down to their current situation. Or, to _Shiro’s_ situation, it seemed. Lance heard the man shift his position on the box’s floor and suddenly Lance felt even guiltier. Not only had he totally, _accidentally_ , felt Shiro up, but now Shiro was struggling not to pop one because of Lance’s clumsiness.

“Fuck,” Shiro whispered.

“Shiro! You just-“

“I think I’m allowed a couple expletives in my current state, Lance,” Shiro snapped back.

The man’s voice sounded slightly strained, and in any other circumstance, Lance would have found it...erotic. But this? This was the farthest thing from erotic.

Well, actually, being stuck alone together with at least one of them having a boner was totally, maybe, sort of, _definitely_ , something Lance had fantasized about before, but it typically involved a lot less fear and guilt on his part.

“I’m so sorry, dude,” Lance said again. “Although, I guess I was kinda right about how me sitting down would make you uncomfortable, ahaha...”

Lance knew that, even though they weren’t able to see each other, Shiro was probably giving him a death glare worse than he’d ever seen the man give even Slav before.

“Be glad it’s pitch dark and I can’t see you,” Shiro said flatly.

“I was totally just thinking that!” Lance said nervously. “Great minds think alike, huh, Shiro?”

“...I guess so.”

And then the man laughed. Well, it was closer to a scoff, but he actually _laughed_.

How on whatever planet they were on was Shiro not completely angry at him? Lance had literally just made their situation the worst it could possibly be, and yet here he was, laughing at Lance’s terrible attempts at clearing the air. Although, he supposed it was better than being trapped in a box with Shiro wanting to kill him.

“Wow, I sure hope someone finds us soon, don’t you?” Lance said when the awkward was getting to be too much for him.

“I think I could give it a couple more minutes, considering.”

“Oh, right. Uh, maybe we could play a game to make the time pass? My siblings and I used to do that on long road trips. Or we could talk battle strategies, if that’s what you’re into. Or maybe we could-“

“You know, Lance,” Shiro said. “I think for once your awkward rambling is actually helping with something. I don’t think a few minutes is necessary anymore.”

“Really?” Lance said excitedly before he realized what all Shiro had just said. “Wait, that’s not a compliment.”

“Not exactly, no.”

“Shirooo, don’t be mean! I already said I was sorry for giving you a boner,” Lance pouted into the darkness.

“Oh, my- Don’t say it like that!” Shiro said embarrassedly.

“Why not? It’s true.”

“Y-Yeah, but it’s not appropriate.”

“It’s not like there’s anyone around to hear me,” Lance teased.

“Still, it’s just-“

“I gave you a boner, I gave you a boner!” the boy sing-songed.

“What are you, twelve? Shut up!” Shiro laughed.

“I gave you a boner!”

“Help! Get me out of here! I’m trapped in here with an annoying person! Help me!” Shiro started yelling, banging on the walls of the box to drown out Lance’s torture.

Lance’s singing was quickly replaced with his own laughter, and it filled the small space. The sound made Shiro stop hitting the walls and soon, he was chuckling quietly as well.

“Don’t worry,” Lance said once their laughter faded. “I won’t tell anyone about your boner.”

“What boner?” Shiro asked.

“Oh, is it finally gone?”

“Yeah, and it’s all thanks to you,” Shiro said exaggeratedly. “Great job, Lance! You killed it.”

“It’s what I’m good at,” Lance joked.

A silence fell between them then. They both listened for any sound from the outside that might signal help was coming, but the metal walls were preventing any sound from coming in or out.

“Hey, Shiro?” Lance asked after a while.

“Yeah?”

“Do you really think I’m annoying?”

“What? Why would you- Oh, I did say that, didn’t I?”

“Yeah...”

“No, Lance,” Shiro assured. “I don’t think you’re annoying. Sure, you can _act_ annoying sometimes — I think we all have our moments. But as a person? No, you’re not.”

“Thanks for saying so,” Lance said quietly.

It meant a lot to him that Shiro would say that. Even if he was only just saying it and didn’t actually mean it.

“Are you alright?”

“Hmm?” Lance said when he realized Shiro had spoken to him. “Oh, yeah. I’m good. I just... I was called annoying a lot in grade school and at the Garrison. And I know Keith thinks I’m annoying. And probably Allura... And Pidge, and originally I thought you did, too.”

“You thought I thought you were annoying?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah? To be honest, I’m half convinced you still do. But I guess you don’t? Unless you were lying, which I really hope you weren’t.”

“I wasn’t lying. You’re not annoying. I genuinely think you’re fun to be around.”

“Thanks, Shiro.”

“You’re welcome, Lance.”

 

—

 

“I gotta pee,” Lance said some time later.

“Didn’t you go before we went on the mission?” Shiro sighed.

“Yeah, but who knows how long ago that’s been! Plus, my bladder fills when I get scared.”

“I thought you weren’t scared?” Shiro said in a teasing voice.

“I wasn’t, but now I really am scared that we’re gonna die in here,” Lance said, voice wavering. “Oh, gosh. What if someone finds us after we die and my body releases its fluids? That’s so embarrassing.”

“We’re not gonna die in here,” Shiro pressed, ignoring Lance’s whining. “Hopefully someone will come for us soon and then you can pee. But for now, just try to hold it?”

“Okay...” Lance said, and he closed his legs together as best as he could.

 

There was no telling just how long they had been in there for. They passed the time talking about their lives — well, Lance did. Shiro mostly just listened. But it made the wait for help less boring and helped Lance forget about his tiny bladder. He told about his sisters and his parents, about growing up and going to grade school half in Cuba and half in America before he went to the Garrison. He even told Shiro that part of the reason he went was because Shiro had inspired him, being the youngest and brightest pilot in his time there.

Every time Lance finished a story, Shiro would make them take a break from talking to bang on the walls and call for help, just in case someone walked by the box and heard them. No one ever did.

It had to have been hours, possibly the better half of a day, because suddenly Lance kept yawning while he was trying to tell about the time his family went to SeaWorld when he was 7 and he found a megaphone and tried to start a protest to free the orcas during the killer whale show.

“Are you tired?” Shiro asked after a particularly loud yawn.

“I guess I am getting a little sleepy... Maybe I’ll just take a nap, if that’s okay with you?”

“Go ahead. Maybe when you wake up, someone will have found us.”

“Maybe...” Lance said, already falling asleep as he curled up against the wall.

 

What felt like a moment later, Lance was awoken by a soft mumbling a few feet away from him.

“Mm, nnnnn-“

“Shiro?” Lance said into the darkness.

“Agh- Mm!”

“Dude, I’m awake now, so if you’re helping yourself, you can stop.”

But the moaning didn’t stop. It did, however, get more intense, so much that Shiro sounded _pained_.

“Mmnno-! No!”

“Shiro?!”

Lance scooted as close as he dared to the other man and put a hand on his chest. Shiro was breathing heavily, large huffs moving his upper body up and down jerkily. It was then that Lance realized his leader was having a nightmare.

“No, please! Nnn-“

“Hey, hey Shiro. Shh, it’s okay.”

Lance knew better than to wake someone who was having a nightmare. Especially if that someone had a deadly metal arm that could kill Lance in an instant if he woke up unaware of his surroundings.

“You’re safe, Shiro. You’re having a nightmare,” said the brunet, putting his free hand on Shiro’s shoulder.

Lance’s presence seemed to help the terror-stricken man, and his breathing slowed ever so slightly. He was still mumbling incoherently, and Lance could only imagine what horrors of his past Shiro was dreaming of. In hopes of comforting Shiro more, Lance moved the hand from the older man’s chest up to his face, cupping his cheek in hopes that the contact would bring him back down from wherever he was inside his head.

“Mmm...”

“Hey, buddy. You’re okay. You’re with me, Lance. I gotcha,” Lance said in a soothing whisper.

“Hmm...Lansss...”

“Yeah! It’s just me. You’re alright.”

A few seconds passed as Lance listened for Shiro’s breathing to even out. Finally, the man’s tense body relaxed and Lance could tell Shiro was settling back into a deeper sleep.

Lance wasn’t sure whether he should move back to the other side of the box or stay near Shiro in case it happened again. So he compromised and sat in the middle of the box, giving Shiro some space, but not too much so he could watch over the man as he slept. He brought his feet up to his chest, hoping Shiro wouldn’t mind if he leaned against his leg, and waited.

The sound of Shiro’s breathing relaxed Lance, and after a few minutes, he felt his eyes drooping. He blinked and shook his head, knowing that he should stay alert in case Shiro needed him.

 _Maybe if I just close my eyes for a moment_ , he thought.

Within seconds he’d fallen asleep again.

 

Lance woke up for the third time in darkness. This time, he remembered where he was, and who he was with. He closed his eyes again and sighed, snuggling closer to the wall. He and Shiro were still stuck in the stupid box, and Lance was trying to be mad about it. But how could he be mad when there was a hand gently playing with his hair?

Wait...

What?

His eyes shot open, trying so desperately to see anything in front of him, but he still couldn’t. But he could _feel_ where he was.

That wasn’t the wall he was snuggled up to, oh no. That was _Shiro_.

Lance tensed up, unsure why or how he had gotten so close to his leader, and scared that Shiro might think he’d snuggled up to him on purpose and hate him for it.

The hand in his hair must have noticed he’d woken because it retracted slightly before completely moving away.

“Lance?” Shiro said in the softest, most tender voice Lance had ever heard from the man.

“Uh...Yeah?” Lance responded. He waited for the next move from Shiro, whether it would be to push him off, yell at him, or just sternly tell him not to touch him anymore, and that he should be ashamed of himself.

But none of it came. Instead, Shiro’s other hand, the one pressed against Lance’s back, moved to his arm, rubbing it softly in an attempt to help wake Lance up.

“Are you okay, bud?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m okay,” Lance stuttered out. “I’m sorry, I don’t know how I got here.”

“You must have fallen against me somehow while you were sleeping. It woke me up, actually,” Shiro said, but there was no malice in his voice.

“How long has it been since I fell against you?”

“...A while.”

“Oh...” Lance said, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Oh! I remember. You were having a nightmare so I stayed by you in case you had another one, but I guess I fell asleep instead. And then fell _on you_.”

“You could tell I was having a nightmare?”

“Yeah, you were like, mumbling and stuff.”

“I’m sorry,” Shiro said quietly.

“No, don’t be! I was just worried for you, so I tried to help you out. N-Not by doing anything weird! I just tried to calm you down with my voice. Which, now that I think about it, is probably not really that calming, aha...” Lance realized he was rambling and cleared his throat. “Uh, I’ll get off you now. Sorry-“

“Wait,” Shiro said, holding Lance in place before he could move back to the other side. “Um... You don’t have to. If you don’t want to. Ah, I just mean...”

Shiro’s voice trailed off, like he was unsure of what he was saying. But Lance knew, and he found it endearing.

“Okay,” he said, relieving Shiro the embarrassment of trying to explain himself. He relaxed back into Shiro’s chest and closed his eyes, smiling softly and perhaps enjoying it a little too much.

“Okay,” Shiro repeated.

A few moments passed, and as much as Lance was enjoying the feeling of being pressed against Shiro, the stillness was unnerving.

“Remember how you were playing with my hair?” he asked suddenly.

“Yeah...” Shiro replied awkwardly. “Sorry about that, I don’t-“

“Do you wanna do it again?”

“Oh,” the man said, sounding surprised. “Uh- Sure.”

Slowly but surely, Lance felt the fingers of Shiro’s human hand graze across his forehead before scratching gently through his bangs.

He leaned into the touch, making Shiro’s hand relax into the slow rhythm he’d had when he thought Lance was asleep. It felt nice, having his hair played with, especially from someone he felt so much for, and he hummed contently at the feeling. 

“Shiro?” he asked suddenly.

“Hmm?”

“What happens if no one comes to find us?”

“Lance...”

“I know, I know, ‘someone will.’ But... let’s be honest. What if?”

“Then... I guess...” Shiro dragged out, before he sighed and accepted what Lance was getting at. “We would be stuck forever. We’d probably die from starvation, since suffocation doesn’t really seem like it would be happening any time soon.”

“Right,” Lance nodded minutely.

He didn’t want to die in there, didn’t want to accept that this would be the end, but he knew even Shiro was losing hope that someone would find them. Lance supposed there were other worse ways to die — getting mauled by a bear or drowning, etc. — so spending his last days with the man of his affections wasn’t too bad.

But that also meant that it was now or never. He could either tell Shiro how he felt now, and die knowing he at least got it off his chest, even if Shiro didn’t feel the same way. Or he could say nothing, and die regretting that he never said anything. (Or they’d actually get rescued, but Lance wasn’t thinking of that right now.)

“So if this is it, if this is our last days on...in this box,” he said, pushing up slightly so he could look at Shiro — well, in his direction anyway, “then I need to tell you something.”

“Alright,” Shiro said, and Lance could practically hear his eyebrow raise.

“I love you, Shiro. I don’t know if you feel the same, or if you secretly hate me, or what. But I’m super in love with you. I have been for like, years actually. And I know we’re not technically dying yet, but I needed to tell you now. If we never get out of this box, if we get out and then get killed by Galra, or even if we get out and are able to see everyone again and then you have to avoid me for the rest of our lives because you don’t feel the same-“

Lance’s rambling was cut off by Shiro pulling him into a hug.

“Okay, not exactly what I was _hoping_ to get pulled into, but I’ll take it.”

“I can’t see your face and I didn’t want to risk kissing your nose,” Shiro said.

“Wait, what?”

Shiro’s hand felt around Lance’s face, finally cupping his cheek and grazing a thumb over his lips.

“Aha,” Shiro said quietly, and brought Lance’s face up to his.

Their lips met with ease, once Shiro had moved his finger. Lance felt his heart burst out of his chest as Shiro’s arms wrapped fully around him, enveloping him in warmth. He yanked an arm out of Shiro’s hold and wrapped it around the man’s head, pulling him down closer as he kissed back.

It wasn’t exactly the perfect first kiss Lance had always imagined with Shiro, considering they were stuck in a box and positioned rather uncomfortably. Plus the fact that they couldn’t even see each other added a new difficulty Lance hadn’t ever thought of. But in the moment, with the possibility of death hanging over their heads, it was the most intense and wonderful kiss Lance had ever had.

“Wow,” he breathed when Shiro finally pulled away.

“Wow,” Shiro repeated, and Lance knew the man above him was smiling.

“I wish I’d said something before we thought we were about to die.”

“So do I,” Shiro said, bringing Lance’s forehead to rest against his own. “Now I really hope someone comes and rescues us.”

“Me too.”

Lance played with the hairs on the back of Shiro’s neck, breathing in the same air that Shiro was breathing out. He leaned up and kissed him again, before pushing up and away, back to the other side of the box.

“There’s gotta be a way out,” Lance said, feeling around the corners and bottom under Shiro’s feet. “Is there a switch anywhere in the corners? Or maybe you’re sitting on something.”

“I really don’t think so, Lance. I checked when we first discovered we were in here, remember?”

“I know. But there’s gotta be _something_.”

Lance moved back to where Shiro was sitting, where he’d been sitting the whole time.

“Hey,” Shiro said flirtily when Lance wrapped his hands around his back. “I thought you were looking for a way out.”

“I am,” Lance smiled, and kissed Shiro again for him to feel it. “Can you lean down a bit?”

“Yeah,” Shiro said, and leaned his body forward enough for Lance to feel the wall behind him.

Lance’s hands felt along the wall, making sure not to miss a single inch.

“Oh?” he said, when his hand grazed over something.

“What?”

“There’s... a crack.”

“A crack?”

“Yeah, in the wall,” Lance said, feeling along it with a finger, but still unable to fully reach it. “Can you switch me places?”

“I can try.”

Quickly, they maneuvered around each other so that Lance could have better access to the crack.

“I wish we had a light.”

“Is it possible to figure out the crack without one?” Shiro asked.

“I don’t think so,” Lance said, feeling around it. He noted that it was in the shape of a rectangle, which meant there had to be something that he could get into.

“Okay,” Shiro sighed. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to, but we can use my arm as a light.”

“Oh! That would be perfect!”

“Alright, but be careful not to touch it. It gets really hot.”

“I won’t.”

In an instant, Shiro’s arm lit the box a deep purple. Finally, Lance could see Shiro’s face, and he smiled when Shiro looked up at him as well.

“It’s nice to see you,” he said.

“Nice to see you too, Lance,” Shiro smiled. “Now, how about that crack in the wall?”

“Right.”

With Shiro’s hand, Lance could fully see the small panel that had been hidden behind him. Whoever had put them in there, had purposefully put Shiro in front of it.

“Thanks Máma for always teaching me not to bite my nails,” Lance said, and stuck a nail in the crack and pulled. “Ow,” he whined when his nail bent. “Okay, so it’s not exactly one that just pops out. Got any better ideas?” he said, turning back to Shiro.

“It kinda looks like one of the panels from the Galra ship I escaped from. Maybe...”

Shiro didn’t finish his statement before he stuck his Galra hand flat out towards it.

His hand went dim and he waited a few seconds for it to cool down before pressing his hand against the panel.

In an instant, a flash of light lit the box from the panel behind Shiro’s hand and a whirring sound came from above them as the top of the box opened. Blinding light streamed in from the opening and Lance and Shiro looked at each other with hope in their eyes.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Lance said, and started to stand up.

“Wait,” Shiro said, putting a hand out to stop Lance. “There are most likely enemies on the outside of this box. I’ll go out first, and get as many with my hand as I can. Once you hear my cue, you come out and try to get a gun from one of the fallen, and we’ll fight our way out.”

“Got it,” Lance nodded. “But wait-“

He grabbed Shiro’s body suit and the man turned back to look at him. Lance pulled him close, kissing him one last time in case they wouldn’t get the chance again.

“Be safe. I love you,” Lance whispered as the whirring above them stopped.

“I love you, too.”

Shiro jumped out, and Lance heard him grunt as his feet hit the floor. All other noise from outside was silenced as Lance listened for Shiro’s cue.

“ _Lance_ ,” he heard only a moment later, and he popped up and hoisted himself over the side of the box.

“Hiiieeeeyyaa!” he cried, landing in an overdramatic karate pose while his eyes searched for one of the fallen soldiers.

Except, there were no fallen soldiers. There weren’t soldiers at all, actually.

Lance’s face lit up into a smile and he righted himself as he saw that he was face to face with his fellow paladins.

“What?!” he said, running over and jumping straight into Hunk’s open arms, hugging his best friend with all his might. “How did you guys-? How were-? What did you-?”

“We saw a Galra soldier put you guys in there, and we were able to take him down and bring the box back to the ship, but we had no idea how to open it,” Hunk explained, setting Lance back down.

“Well, Coran and I were trying to figure it out, but it was taking a while with the computer, since no one that has ever been stuck in one has ever gotten out,” Pidge said.

“Aw, thanks, Pidgeon,” Lance said, moving to pick her up in a crushing hug.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t thank me. You got yourselves out.”

“So we’ve been here the whole time?” Shiro asked. “Could you hear us banging against the walls for help?”

“No, we couldn’t hear anything from inside. We didn’t even know if you were still alive in there. Though, we all hoped, of course,” Allura answered.

“Don’t worry, Princess. Your favorite blue and black paladins are out of the box and just fine. Well, a little better than fine, if I say so myself,” Lance smirked.

“Uh, how _did_ you guys get out?” Keith asked.

“We used the power of love,” Lance said, smiling over at Shiro.

“There was a panel behind my back that connected to Galra tech,” Shiro corrected when the others gave Lance a weird look. Lance pouted in return, and Shiro smiled and shook his head. “But yeah, I guess love works, too,” he conceded, and Lance’s pout turned back into a happy grin.

 

Once everyone had welcomed the two back and Pidge had asked enough questions about the box to fill a book, Lance and Shiro hit the showers to wash the grime of the mission and from being stuck in a box for nearly 36 vargas (according to Coran) off their bodies.

When they were both clean, they went to the kitchen where Hunk had prepared them a feast (“You must be starving after being in there so long,” he had said). They ate quickly, both out of hunger and the need to escape, then went somewhere more private to chat.

 

—

 

“You love me,” Lance smiled a few days later, after they’d officially named their relationship. Lance was leaning into Shiro’s side as he sat on his lap in the lounge, humming happily as his boyfriend pressed slow kisses to his face and neck.

“I do,” Shiro said, pausing his ministrations to look into Lance’s eyes. “And you love me.”

“Yeah,” Lance swooned. “Sorry, I’m just so happy, I can’t believe this is really happening.”

“Can’t believe it? Well, you better start believing it!”

Shiro moved his hands to Lance’s sides and tickled him, causing the boy to wiggle and writhe on his lap as laughter tore through him.

“Okay, okay! I give!” he called.

Shiro finally relented and wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist, pulling him into his chest with a mischievous smile.

“Do you believe it now?” he asked.

“Yes.” Lance leaned up and kissed Shiro again, happily able to see the man’s reaction and know they could do that without fear of death directly on their backs.

Shiro hummed into the kiss and put a hand on the underside of Lance’s thigh to pull him closer, running his other fingers through the boy’s soft brown hair. Only, Shiro’s hand on his thigh gave Lance a different idea, and he pulled his body up carefully, moving to straddle Shiro’s legs as their mouths continued to move together slowly.

“What are you doing?” Shiro mumbled happily on Lance’s lips.

“Remember... when I gave you a boner?” Lance asked between kisses.

“Mm... Which time?”

Lance laughed and hit Shiro’s arm playfully before wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s neck to look into his eyes.

“In the box, silly.”

“ _Oh_ , yeah. I remember. How could I forget?” Shiro teased, going back to continue his work on Lance’s neck.

“Afterwards, mmm, you told me not to do it again.”

“Mm-hmm...”

“Well, I was wondering... Can I do it again?” Lance whispered.

Shiro pulled back, eyes wide with surprise as he looked around the room. “You want to- Wh- I-I mean- Right now?”

“I’m still a horny teenager, what can I say?”

Shiro laughed and cupped Lance’s face, giving him another quick kiss to the lips.

“Alright,” he said in a low voice. “But only if I can give you one.”

“Ohh, deal,” Lance said, Shiro’s voice sending a shiver down his spine. “Race you to my room?”

Shiro grabbed onto Lance’s legs and stood up. “Better yet, I’ll carry you,” he said, and walked them around the couch.

Lance wrapped his arms around Shiro as the man carried him to the door, peppering his face with short kisses.

“Mm, I can’t wait to- _OW!_ ”

“Lance!” Shiro set him down and Lance brought his hands up to hold his head in pain. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize how low the doorframe was!”

“It’s alright,” Lance groaned. “Uh, maybe we should just walk?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Lance held out his hand for Shiro to take and they started walking down the hall towards his room.

“Actually,” he said after only a few steps, “can we get an icepack first?”

“I’ll go get you one. I’m sorry to kill the mood,” Shiro blushed.

“It’s alright,” said Lance, grabbing onto Shiro’s shirt to pull him in for another kiss. “I’m happy just being around you.”

“Oof, how hard did you hit your head?”

“Hey!”

“I’m joking! I’ll get your icepack,” Shiro called as he ran the other way towards the med bay.

“Thank you!” Lance smiled despite the pounding in his head.

He hated the Galra, hated what they did to innocent lives, including Shiro’s. But he had to give their stupid box credit for giving him the courage to finally confess his feelings. Maybe a life or death situation with a big metal torture box was exactly what he needed.

And maybe one day, he thought, he could convince Shiro to get back in there with him. From what he knew, it was pretty soundproof.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for no real smut, hope you liked it anyway <3 if you did, please leave me a comment telling me what you think and maybe consider buying me a [coffee!](http://ko-fi.com/natdashg) thank you!


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